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Incite / Insight Winter 2018
TIOS in the Springtime
WRITTEN BY PAUL BREWSTER
M arch in New York City : slushy streets , stuffy apartments , chilly subway platforms , and the yearning for spring . In the trying winter months , it can be hard to stay motivated for arts educators working with cabin-fevered young people ! Luckily , AATE ” to “ American
Alliance for Theater & Education ( AATE ) and Educational Theatre
Association ( EdTA ) give us reason to celebrate , as March is Theatre in Our Schools Month ! And in New York , we honor that celebration with a rejuvenating gathering of colleagues .
The annual New York Theatre in our Schools ( NY TIOS ) event has been a staple in the professional development landscape for theatre educators in our region . The first time I attended I was immediately struck by the caring community of artists , educators , and scholars that had assembled to exchange best practices . A full-day of workshops and a keynote presentation left me buzzing with ideas to bring into my practice as an arts educator and administrator . The following year I hoped to return the favor by sharing some of my tips and tricks of teaching technical theater . By presenting a workshop , I got a look into the inner workings of the event , and immediately appreciated the efforts of the committee volunteering their time and energy to provide this service to the community . Sign me up ! By joining the planning committee , the feeling of community I previously felt on just the day of the event was instead sustained over several months of collaborating with respected colleagues to plan and execute NY TIOS .
Each year the committee surveys the participating community about their experience , and the event has evolved to serve the interests and needs of the group . This year , our committee was proud to produce an event on March 1 , 2018 that convened artists , educators , and scholars for facilitated conversations and artmaking . With an emphasis on peerto-peer exchange , the participants made meaningful connections with colleagues that we hope will open dialogue all the year round . Plus , thanks to the generosity of Disney Theatrical Group , The New Victory Theater , and Roundabout Theatre Company , participants had the opportunity to attend a show at a deeply discounted rate .
NY TIOS is an annual reminder of the strength of our arts education community and helps us collectively reach for those hopeful spring days of student productions and culminating events with a renewed sense of purpose and a few new strategies to impact our students .
Photo Credit : Elizabeth Dunn-Ruiz